Cultivating Plants

“You are either courageous or stupid by showing me cannabis seeds in the presence of an officer of the law,” Umar stated with a deadpan.

Aloe blushed. 

Cannabis itself wasn’t illegal, seeds even less so. But there was a strict control on hashish. She eyed Uncle Jafar from the corner of her eye without turning her head away from the apothecary.

“Ha!” The old man laughed, hitting the counter with his fist. “Gotta give it to you, girl. You have balls of steel. Or I guess ovaries.” Umar shrugged. “Jafar has seen worse shit go through this shop than just seeds.”

“Come on man, you can’t just admit to that in front of my nephew.” Jafar sighed placing his elbows on the wooden counter.

“Considering the rumors always circling about the guard, that’s just expected of you at this point.” Umar crackled, his laugh was mixed with some coughs. “Anyways, let me first have a look at what are we dealing with here first.”

Umar lifted the top of the pot to inspect the seeds, instantly filling the room with a strong yet sweet aroma.

“Yeah, definitely cannabis.” The apothecary said as he fingered the pot, revolving the seeds inside. He took one for everyone else to see. “These ones are recent, only a few months old.”

“Wait.” Aloe suddenly petrified. “Are you saying that my grandfather was doing hashish?”

“Most likely yes,” Umar responded nonchalantly, almost as if he already knew.

Aloe turned to Jafar. “Did you know?”

The guard raised his hands and put his index finger on top of his lips.

“That’s not a response.” And she kicked him in the sheens.

The strongly built man didn’t react to the attack, instead he was highly amused by the burst of anger coming from Aloe.

“Well, you now know why Karaim was so secretive with the greenhouse.” Jafar deflected.

Aloe straightened her posture and then realized. But that isn’t the case. He was secretive because of the vital arts and the Evolved plants. And I didn’t see any cannabis plants growing in the greenhouse. She stopped for a second and blinked. Or at least I didn’t recognize any. Most plants were kind of ruined. Was the cannabis production just a front to cover his discoveries?

The banker sighed and dusted her dress. “Anyways, how much is that worth?”

“Hmm, it’s difficult to estimate.” Umar scratched his chin, unfazed by the duo’s antics. “There aren’t that many seeds here, this just looks like a redundancy stash. Karaim must have set these seeds apart in case the harvest was poor. Hard thing considering he was using a greenhouse, but still possible.”

“How much?” Aloe reiterated; her businesswoman expression returned.

“To be honest, seeds aren’t worth that much, what matters is the plant. The product.” Umar stated. “People who can cultivate cannabis have unlimited seeds, and people who want to cultivate can get those seeds cheap from people who have an unlimited supply.”

“But the latter doesn’t know who the former is,” Aloe added.

“Clever girl.” Umar smiled. “That much is true. The latter is a novice, inexperienced group. They aren’t in for the business but for recreational use. And most likely than not, they are apprehensive to show their tastes to others.”

“But an apothecary could provide those seeds without scaring them.”

The old man’s smile intensified. “Yes, of course. But a single seed would be enough for them.”

“Meaning you can charge them whatever you want for them.” Aloe leaned closer to the counter.

“She’s got you by the balls, friend.” Jafar snickered at the side.

Umar pushed the seed pot back Aloe. “My opinion as an apothecary? Keep them.”

Aloe frowned. “Why’s that?” She didn’t bother to take back the pot, that would signalize weakness.

“I do have seeds of my own, and besides, you have time.” The apothecary got away from the counter. “Those seeds will keep their effectiveness for a long time, maybe years, if you really want to make coin, I recommend you growing those seeds yourself.”

“Y-you want me to...?” Aloe was speechless.

“Are you now worried about drugs, really?” Umar deadpanned.

“It’s not that,” Aloe responded a little too fast.

“That’s what seems to be the case.” The old man said. “Girl, that is a gold mine. You don’t sell the gold mine, you mine the gold and then trade it. Keep them, I’m making you a favor here.”

Aloe unconsciously turned to look at Jafar for an opinion, but the guard just shrugged. This was her decision. Aloe’s hand shook slightly as she grabbed the seed jar. She knew Umar was right, if she truly wanted to make money, Karaim’s greenhouse offered her a lucrative future along with the seeds. 

But.

Her mind was filled with the rumors and hearsay of the drug lords and addicts. But especially the others. She knew that there was money to be made, but should she go to that level?

“I’ll...” the seeds suddenly felt heavy in her hands, “I’ll think about it.”

“Is that all, or do you keep more secrets on that bag of yours?”

“That’s all I considered worth taking from the greenhouse,” Aloe admitted, even if it was a half-truth.

“Alright then, give me a moment to ready some of those medicinal seeds we’ve talked about before. Back in a minute.” Umar said as he disappeared into the back shop.

As soon as they were alone in the shop, Aloe turned to face Jafar. She lay the weight of her body on the counter in a relaxed posture, yet her eyes were all but that.

“So, hashish eh,” Aloe said.

“Aye.” Jafar rested his back on the wall, unconcern written on his face. “Though you can’t write off cannabis directly as hashish, there are some other factors involved.” He responded with a suspicious acquaintance to the process.

“How long have you known?” She ignored the guard’s comment.

“Little plant, it would be easier to count how long I have not known.” His words were filled with mockery, yet his tone was serious.

“Does everyone know?” Aloe shook lightly the pot. The cannabis seeds inside making a muted ringing sound.

“Suns, no!” Jafar let out a sigh. “Mirah would kill me if she knew, and Shahrazad would suffer from a heart attack if she became aware of what her father did. Only the men knew until now. Me, your grandfather, Umar here, and Amid.”

“My father?”

“Ah, sweet desert child.” Jafar swayed his head. “A commoner doesn’t become an influential banker without some tricks. Either connections or capital. Your grandfather was the one who allowed him to reach those heights.”

“D-does that mean that all the money in our family is drug money?” Aloe’s heart skipped a beat.

“Nah, your father was a legit fella. At most, just the foundation.”

“I-“ Aloe didn’t know what to say. She had always thought that his father had been a paragon of commerce, a master manipulator of the economy, a meritocratic icon. From humble beginnings to wealthy standards. “Can I even become a banker then?”

Though doubt was what prevailed beyond the anger and frustration.

“I can tell that you are far more competent with numbers than your father ever was. Without Karaim sponsoring you... I think it’s possible. You will have a far rougher way ahead of you, and it will take certainly longer to reach the level of your father, but I do believe it’s doable.”

So that’s why Farid never promoted me beyond apprentice. Aloe muttered to herself so low that it almost seemed she had kept it to herself. I never had a sponsor behind me after Father passed away.

“I...” Aloe’s grip on the pot tightened. “Thanks, Uncle Jafar.”

“No problem, little plant.” The tall man gave her a warm smile. “I wish you find success in the greenhouse.

“How did you know?” She added in confusion. “I didn’t tell you.”

“You are like an open book, little plant!” Jafar laughed, slapped his knee, and then pushed against the wall, springing outwards the wall as Umar appeared from the back shop.

Aloe’s expression of weakness transformed into a frown.

“What are you bringing there, old man?” Jafar asked Umar, refusing to deal with Aloe.

“Two pots of a mixture of medicinal herbs.” The apothecary explained. “Nothing fancy, really. The first pot has half thyme and sage seeds, and the other chamomile and black seeds.”

“I can understand the first three,” Aloe pointed out, “but what is medicinal about the black seeds? Aren’t they just spices?”

“What is a spice but the tongue’s medicine?” Umar added with the tone of the classical old man speaking in riddles.

“Just admit you didn’t want the seeds around.” Jafar spitted.

“Bah!” Umar groaned. “Always badmouthing me.”

“Whilst they are not medicinal, I’ll think I’ll take them.” Aloe took the pots out of the apothecary’s hands. Food in the greenhouse had been rather dull as she lived on rations, but if she wanted to have better meals, black seeds’ seasoning would certainly help. “That reminds me, do you have any food I could grow in the greenhouse or the oasis?”

“Food? I’m an apothecary, I only deal with drugs or medicine.” The old man grunted. “If you want to grow food, just go to the market and buy a sack of potatoes. Those plants are almost weeds, they grow anywhere.”

“I’ll take up on your advice then,” Aloe responded with a fake smile. “See you later.”

“Yes, unfortunately. It seems our paths will cross in the future.” Although Umar’s words were harsh, a genuine grin appeared on his face.